If you’re just joining in, this is part one of a miniseries on finding balance as a working mom. It just so happens that this is what my life is centered on right now, so I’d like to share experiences of what works/doesn’t work for me in hopes that other working moms may be dealing with the same stuff.
Being a Working Mom Isn’t my First Choice
I have to be honest, I love my job but I would much prefer not working, wouldn’t you? As a teacher mom I get up before the sun rises, take papers home with me, plan on the weekends, and spend the evenings making phone calls to my students’ parents. Do I have to do all this? Of course not. I do it because it’s where my heart is and it’s what gives me joy. But I also like being a mom. I like baking a special birthday cake for my big boy’s birthday, having a tidy house (a neverending battle), watching my girls play at the park or my big kid run down the football field. But working seems to take up so much of the day that there’s not enough time left to do much else. So, although I love love love being a teacher and prefer it to any other job on the planet, it would be super cool if it were just a one day a week job. Any chance that idea might pass through legislation? 😉
Attitude is a Choice
So here’s the choice a working mom has to make: What attitude do you want to have? Humans have the unique gift of free will, so how you respond to your environment is completely up to you. As I said before, I choose to work (ok, if I didn’t we would be well below the poverty level but again, it’s my choice). Since this is a situation that I have chosen, while I’m in it I try to maintain a positive attitude. Being optimistic makes me feel happier, it makes my coworkers likely to enjoy my company, and best of all it encourages my clients (my second and third graders) to believe in me and also in themselves. I could choose to grumble and complain about the being a working mom, but that doesn’t sound like much fun.
Check out the other posts in this series: